Crush the Castle, from Armorgames, has been one of this year's most popular Flash games. Like all great games the premise is simple - knock down a castle by throwing rocks from a trebuchet.
Well in fact the title, Crush The Castle, is a bit of a misnomer. Progression through the 24 levels is not achieved by destroying the castles, but rather by hitting each of the castle's occupants. Each level has one or more people (kings, queens and guards) and to complete the level you must hit each one, either directly with your ammo, or indirectly by causing a piece of the castle to fall. To become good at the game, forget the castle, and look for ways to hit the people in the castle!
The controls couldn't be simpler. First select the ammo you want to use, then click the mouse button once to set the trebuchet in motion, and again to release. Timing is everything. Release early and the trajectory will be high, allowing your ammo to drop on your target from above. Releasing late causes a flatter trajectory, which allows to you to hit the castle wall from the side, or even bounce the ammo along the ground. Careful use of different trajectories is vital for success.
Another decision which will affect how quickly you can progress in the game is ammo choice. You start with only he ability to use single small stones. As you progress through the levels you unlock multiple stones, larger stones, and bombs. Choosing the right ammo for a particular level makes all the difference. While the most recently unlocked ammo is usually best, some levels are best attempted with simpler ammo. For example, level 13 unlocks the large stone, but the level is much easier if you choose to fire 3 small stones as these are small enough to fit down the gap above the queen, beating the level in one shot!
At the start of each level you should take a good look at the castle to search for weaknesses. Remember that your aim is to hit the people, not destroy the castle, so look for ways to achieve that goal. For example, level 14 is built like a see-saw with the king on one end. Firing 3 large stones to land in the gully on the left of the castle will cause it to topple, and the king will fall down onto the spikes... much easier than trying to hit him with a direct shot over the castle walls!
There are 2 other techniques which you'll find useful on certain levels. The first is what I call the fast barrage. This means firing 2 or more shots in a row, without waiting for them to hit. This means that the second and subsequent shots will hit the target while it is still wobbling from the previous shot. This is a very useful technique on later levels.
The final technique is to bounce your ammo. By aiming low you can bounce ammo off the ground, or off castle walls into targets further away. Note that only stones can be bounced off walls, since bombs will explode on impact, but both stones and bombs can be bounced off the floor.
Practice these techniques and you should have no problem completing all 24 levels and unlocking the castle editor mode. With practice you should be able to complete most, if not all levels with just one shot!
